Children’s Hospice Warns of ‘Catastrophic’ Impact from Funding Loss

A children’s hospice has called on Members of Parliament to secure vital funding, aiming to provide a stable future for hospices. Forget Me Not, located in Huddersfield, stated that discontinuing the National Children’s Hospice Grant would be “absolutely catastrophic” for the families receiving its services. Gareth Pierce, the chief executive, held a meeting with MPs on Tuesday to address the “critical” need for support. The health secretary informed the BBC that he intends to disclose specifics regarding proposed alterations to the government grant prior to Christmas. Hospice UK reported in September that the 2023-24 period “was by a distance the worst financial year we have ever seen for the hospice sector”. The National Children’s Hospice Grant, which allocates £25m to hospices nationwide, is scheduled to conclude later this year. This grant contributes 10% to Forget Me Not’s total funding, supplemented by an additional 2% from other statutory provisions. Mr Pierce commented, “If there’s any risk at all of that grant not being forthcoming in the future, it will be absolutely catastrophic.” He added, “We want to see some real urgency and pace for children’s hospices moving forward.” Forget Me Not delivers care for infants and children facing life-shortening conditions, encompassing more than just medical treatment. Its services commence during pregnancy and comprise nursing, hydrotherapy, and end-of-life care. Mr Pierce further stated, “When families come to us for support, they’re going through the worst possible time in their lives.” He quoted families saying, “Families tell us day in, day out, that literally without our support, they don’t know what they would do.” He described the hospice’s assistance as crucial, finding it “quite frightening” to consider a future where it could not provide such aid. The charity seeks not only a government commitment to continued funding but also an increase aligned with inflation. Harpreet Uppal, Labour MP for Huddersfield, characterized Forget Me Not’s service as “crucial” for families residing in West Yorkshire. She organized the meeting and expressed her dedication to advocating for the hospice. She remarked, “We’re looking at different ways that we can support them, part of that is making sure we get our messages across to our colleagues in the front bench.” Uppal added, “We need some sustainable long term funding, we put those contributions to the health team and there were some really positive discussions around that.” Health Secretary Wes Streeting, in an interview with the BBC, stated: “I’m currently looking through our budget for the next year and how we allocate resources, but I want to make sure that we’re protecting our hospices.” When asked for a timeline on further announcements, Streeting responded: “I recognise that they need to be making decisions for the next financial year, so before Christmas.” A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care commented: “We want everyone to have access to high-quality end-of-life care and are aware of the financial pressures facing the hospice sector, and of the huge generosity of the British public, whose donations provide a significant proportion of hospice funding.” The spokesperson indicated a desire to transition more healthcare services into community settings, ensuring patients and their families receive “high-quality, personalised care in the most appropriate setting”. They concluded, “Hospices will have a big role to play in that shift”.